


Harmless as a Broken Ax

by voleuse



Category: Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-01-31
Updated: 2008-01-31
Packaged: 2017-10-04 02:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voleuse/pseuds/voleuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>You've traveled this far on the back of every mistake</em>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Harmless as a Broken Ax

**Author's Note:**

> Set after BSG 3.05. Title and summary adapted from _Antilamentation_ by Dorianne Laux.

Tory had her own quarters in Colonial One, and even now, months after she's returned to it, she could feel the twitching specter of Cylons over her shoulder. She used to spend her off-hours in her quarters, reading borrowed books and shuffling through ship rosters. Now she wanted to set her bunk on fire, because whenever she closed her eyes, all she saw was blood and rage and Biers.

Twelve minutes later, she was on a shuttle to the _Galactica_, smiling at two Marines and a part-time cook with relief.

After treating herself to a cup of mediocre coffee in the mess--a luxury item throughout most of the fleet, but a staple for military kitchens--Tory wandered through the ship, taking the long way around to avoid the bulletin boards in the main corridor.

She ended up standing inside the hatch of the observation deck. It was empty except for a couple--specialists, if she read their uniforms correctly--entwined in the corner, and a woman in civilian clothing a foot away from the glass.

Somewhere in the corridors, a call went out on the intercom, static-smeared and low, but the specialists broke apart in a moment. Tory leaned against the back wall and watched them rearrange themselves, rebuttoning, refastening. They nodded at Tory as they exited, and one of them, to her amusement, blushed.

"I thought I'd be trapped here for the rest of the night," the woman said, her voice bouncing off the glass before she turned. Her smile was wide, and wholly inappropriate for the _Galactica_, Tory thought.

"It's the war," she said, as if any of it needed explanation. "You'd be surprised what goes on in here." The woman raised an eyebrow, and Tory took a few steps closer. She wasn't familiar, and that bothered Tory--civilians weren't usually so free to wander on this ship. "You're with the press?"

"Yeah, I'm--" The woman put a hand to her jacket pocket, then shook her head. "No. I'm a doctor, actually. Just visiting." She looked Tory over, eyes skimming over the late-night ponytail, the unbuttoned collar, the wrinkled slacks. "You?"

Tory played out the variety of answers she could give, each label hitting its own note as she skipped past it. "I couldn't sleep," she finally said, because that answer felt true.

The woman smiled, a quick quirk of her lips, and extended her hand. "My name's Martha, by the way."

"Tory." She took her hand, found herself surprised by the warmth against her palm. Too soon the clasp was over, and she turned to the glass, placed her hand against the cool of it.

"It's beautiful," Martha observed. A viper spun past the ship--a pilot, playing tricks.

Tory tapped her nails against the glass. "I used to think so."

"Used to?" Martha's reflection shifted, faced her. "What happened?"

An laugh escaped past her lips, and it tasted bitter. When she glanced back, Martha's expression had closed down to wariness.

Tory turned on her heel, and she settled into a chair, twisting her legs beneath her. She rested her elbow against the armrest, and tried to push suspicion aside.

She watched Martha, cataloged the way her face moved as she contemplated something. Her jaw firmed when she came to, Tory thought, a decision, and she bit her bottom lip before speaking.

"Are you going to tell me what goes on in here?" she asked. Then she grinned, and Tory watched her tongue dart against the corner of her mouth. "Besides snogging, I mean."

Tory laughed, and for once, she thought she meant it.


End file.
